At the event, Jaishankar said, "We do try to accommodate neighbours. We can accommodate them to the extent our national interest allows."

Emphasising the importance of independent decision-making in global affairs, he added, "Imagine, if today, you were not adopting strategic autonomy. Please tell me which country you would like to join up with and put our future in their hands. I can't think of anybody... To me, my interest is best secured by maximising my opportunities and maintaining my freedom of choice."

The two-day international conference, themed 'India and the World Order: Preparing for 2047', is being held on October 6 and 7 in New Delhi.

Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Chintan Research Foundation, the summit focuses on India's evolving global role as it approaches its centenary of Independence.

Addressing the question of regional dynamics, Jaishankar noted that India has multiple neighbours, some "clearly better than others," and observed that "hyphenation happens with a neighbour who is not so nice."